


Priceless

by orphan_account



Category: Endeavour (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-04-22
Packaged: 2018-01-20 09:58:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1506314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Endeavour gets a visit from a certain detective sergeant...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Priceless

Morse had sat in total silence for- well, he couldn't even remember. He'd lost track of time a while ago.  
Then came the first break in the quiet he'd heard for days:  
"You've a visitor."  
The prison officer's voice was gruff and somewhat disdainful, but any noise was welcome now just to ease his boredom, even slightly.  
'Well,' Endeavour thought ruefully, 'I suppose I'd be the same talking to a "murderer".'  
He wondered who the visitor might be, then closed his eyes, sighing. 'Of course it's not Thursday. Don't even think about him.'  
He didn't have time to wonder anymore when none other than Peter Jakes appeared. Just beyond his reach, behind those cold, metal bars.  
"Jakes. Hello," he said a little warily.  
His "visitor" didn't say anything for a moment, averting his eyes and looking instead through the bars into Morse's poky little cell.  
"Morse, I- um, I-" Jakes began, struggling to find the words.  
Endeavour looked at him, no longer with hostility. Not now he knew the source of his... bitterness.  
"Look, I'm sorry," he said finally. "I should've gone with you. I should've- been braver than that. Maybe if I'd come too, none of this would've happened-"  
"It's not your fault," Endeavour interrupted quietly. "If- if I'd have known, then I wouldn't have asked. It would be too much. You don't have to be sorry. It's me who should be apologising."  
Jakes looked up from the ground, seeming a little surprised at Morse's reaction, whom he knew wasn't the 'in-depth apology' type, especially not to him. Though now he knew the truth-  
The sergeant shuddered involuntarily at the memories he had tried to hard to bury, ones that had recently resurfaced to the extent that he was losing hours, nights of sleep.  
“They’re dead,” Endeavour whispered, catching his expression. “You’re alright now.”  
“I- I know,” Jakes replied, feeling suddenly childish, “I know. It wasn’t you, was it?”  
“No, but I wish it was,” Morse answered vehemently. “On second thoughts... maybe not. Then I’d have no way of getting out.”  
“Don’t worry. They’ll look into it, you’ll get out. Sooner or later, someone will realise...”  
Jakes trailed off, realising he was trying to convince himself, too.  
“I hope so. I really do. But then... what have I got to come back to?” Endeavour smiled wistfully. Without Fred Thursday, he was no longer protected from bullying, he no longer had the pub to look forward to with company, he didn’t even have somewhere to go when he felt depressed, would never return to the Thursday household... why would they want him there? Even if he Morse didn’t personally kill the DI, he as good as did.  
“Me,” Jakes said suddenly, and then blushed a little. “I mean- I’ll still be there. For you, like. I won’t- I won’t take the mick anymore. Well... I’ll try not to.”  
They shared a smile, if a slightly rueful one.  
“Thanks,” Endeavour said after a moment. “Thanks for coming. I’ll... see you soon. I hope. And, I’m sorry. About everything.”  
The sergeant nodded, an unspoken ‘thank YOU’ in his eyes, then he grinned. “Alright, don’t get all sentimental. This don’t mean I’ll be letting you play opera in the office like you did a few weeks back, late at night. You’re not the only one who sometimes works late.”  
Morse’s mouth fell open, blush colouring his cheeks. “I- I’m sorry,” he muttered sheepishly.  
Jakes chuckled lightly. “Hey, I can appreciate it. ‘S Bright I’m worried about. Should’ve heard him; ‘Bet he doesn’t even like it, just wants to seem intellectual.’  
I told him you never turn your record player off at home. He just grumbled.”  
“You best be off now!” the prison officer barked from outside.  
Endeavour gave Jakes a grateful look, and said again, “Thank you. Really.”  
“Like I said, thank YOU, mate. And, Morse?”  
The detective constable tilted his head curiously. “Hm?”  
“Hurry up!” roared the prison officer.  
“You have a lovely singing voice,” Jakes smirked, and with a wink, he was gone.  
Endeavour blushed a deep red again, sighing, but with a small smile now on his face as he listened to Jakes:  
“I’m a bloody detective sergeant, mate, I’ll have as long as I like with my wrongly-imprisoned colleague. What do you think we were doing, planning YOUR murder? I tell you what, it wouldn’t need much planning.”  
Morse’s smile grew wider as he imagined the look on the officer’s face.  
Priceless.

**Author's Note:**

> I deleted my old tags because two years ago, while it seems I could write something still satisfactory to me now, I had a problem with Cringeworthy Tags.


End file.
